This invention relates to the trapping of live animals and more particularly to the trapping of rats, rodents and other parasitic animals by apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture, does not require recharging of the bait, and does not terrify the trapped animal such that it provides warnings to its companions to stay away from the trap. Communities having a large population density are contiuously faced with the severe danger of rat infestation. Consequently, each year many children, pets and even adults receive serious bites and are exposed to other serious health problems brought on by the presence of the rats.
It is well known that man has tried throughout history to find an effective and safe way to eliminate this serious health problem. Unfortunately, it is also well known that rats seem to possess the unique capability of adjusting to and then avoiding various traps as well as becoming immune to many poisons. At the same time the more effective poisons and traps also seem to pose serious dangers to pets and children. The present invention provides trapping apparatus which is very inexpensive to manufacture, is completely safe with respect to children and most all pets, and seems to have solved the problem of rats learning to live with the device without being captured. In addition, according to this invention, trapped rats may be exterminated without handling either the live or dead animals.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,872,619 issued to Ivy McIlwain on Mar. 25, 1975, discloses a trap system which includes a first container inside a second container. This trap, however, does not include many of the features of the present invention. For example, the trapped animal has access to the food or bait contained therein and therefore each time a rat is trapped the bait must be renewed. In addition, the trapped animal once inside the trap immediately becomes aware of its entrapped situation and it is believed at this time sets up some unknown communication to its companions to avoid the trap. In addition, the McIlwain apparatus also requires that the device be buried in the ground and that a tunnel or entry be dug in the ground. The extra effort of installing this apparatus, dramatically increases cost and consequently reduces its effectivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,193,937 issued to F. Pirani et al. on Mar. 19, 1940, discloses a two-compartment trapping device. An animal is first enticed into the first compartment in order to obtain bait or food and then proceeds into a second compartment in trying to escape. This trap although useful for the disposal of animals which might be trapped, also includes many of the shortcomings of the McIlwain apparatus. For example, the bait or food is accessible to the animal and will be consumed and therefore must be replenished, the animal consumes the food and quickly becomes aware of its entrapped condition and is able to warn its companions. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, trapped animals are visable to the outside and thus, attractive to small children and pets. Continued tampering by small children or pets would have the likely result that the animal will escape and inflict a serious wound to the child or pet.
U.S. Pat. No. 956,138 issued to E. H. McAleer on Apr. 26, 1910, provides a trap made from a two-section drum set vertically. The top section of the drum provides a passageway into the confining section. In this apparatus, the bait or food is not accessible by the animal; however, upon being trapped the animal is immediately aware of its entrapped status and will try to get away and will set up a warning to its companions. In addition, this trap does not provide for the easy disposal or extermination of the animal such as by drowning. This trap also is susceptible to the animal escaping while removing the animal from the trap, since it is not a simple process of simply moving a basket if an animal is trapped. According to this device, the containing or confining section of the trap is the drum itself.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 748,201 issued to B. F. D. Miller on Dec. 29, 1903, discloses a very simple trapping apparatus which includes an open cylinder which may be steel, tile, etc. A truncated cone made out of sharpened wires is snapped on both ends such that the animal may enter the cylinder but is prevented from leaving because of the sharpened wires. This trap suffers from the disadvantages of the bait being consumed by the trapped animal, other animals quickly becoming aware of the desperate situation of the trapped animal, and the danger of disposing of the live animal once entrapped in the device.
Thus, as will become apparent hereinafter, although many types of animal traps are available, none of them include the many unique features of the present invention.
To overcome the shortcomings of these and other available methods discussed above, with respect to presently available traps, it is an object of this invention to provide an effective, inexpensive and easily manufactured live animal trap which does not endanger children or pets.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an animal trap which does not allow the trapped animal to consume the bait or food.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a rat trap which avoids terrifying the trapped animal such that it warns its companions.
It is also an object of this invention to provide means of exterminating the trapped animal without handling either the live or dead animal.
To accomplish the above mentioned objects as well as other objects which will become evident from the following drawings and detailed description, the present invention provides a device for trapping a multiplicity of live animals such as rats without terrifying the animal such that it warns its companions. The device comprises a horizontally positioned cylindrical outer housing made of a material capable of withstanding the gnawing of entrapped animals and having at least one open end. A disc suitable for securing to and covering the open end of said cylinder housing defines an aperture suitable for the passage of animals of the type being trapped. A basket made of a perforated material capable of withstanding the gnawing of an entrapped animal is secured to said cover disc such that the aperture in said cover disc opens to the interior of said basket. A one-way passage device is attached to said cover disc such that an animal lead by the bait through said aperture and one-way passage to the interior of said basket is trapped and yet is out of reach of any bait placed in said outer housing.